Life as a SEN mum

Blackpool has to be one of our favourite places. Whatever the time of year, and whatever your age, there is always plenty to do, and for me it brings back plenty of childhood memories. So I thought I’d give you a round up of some of the places we’ve been over the years and which ones we continue to go back to.

Sealife Centre

I had to start with the Sealife Centre as it’s one of the kids absolute favourite places to go. I do have a full review I’ve done previously so won’t spend too long on it, but honestly, when travelling with kids this is an absolute must. There is so much thought put into keeping everyone entertained as well as lots of free seasonal events.

Madame Tussaud’s

Another one that is great for all ages. Despite being over several levels it is accessible via a small lift which is staff operated. Alongside the numerous photo opportunities there are interactive activities throughout, as well a seasonal trails for kids throughout the year. If you fancy it you can also grab a pint in the Rovers.

When we visited Blackpool this year we actually chose to give Tussaud’s a miss, purely because with so much to do and having visited multiple times before there wasn’t the time to fit it in this time round. But it is an absolute must if you’ve never been before or time allows.

As it’s a Merlin attraction you can also get multi attraction tickets to help with the cost if you are planning on visiting multiple attractions, including sealife, Blackpool tower and the Dungeons.

Comedy Carpet

It won’t take you the full day, but it is completely free to vie the comedy carpet, so while you are near the Blackpool tower head over the road and take the most of the photo opportunities.

Hole in the wand

We were lucky enough to be in Blackpool just after it opened. I was already familiar with the concept as they have one in York, although I’d never been in, and some of you may recognise it from Dragon’s Den.

If you love crazy gold, and who doesn’t, and are a fan of the wizarding world (again, who isn’t?) then this is one to give a go. It is a little bit on the pricey side so think about what suits the whole family, also keep in mind that is quite dark with lots of back lighting so you will need to consider the sensory impact it might have. But it definitely is worth a visit.

Peter Rabbit: Explore and Play

This is one of those that I really have mixed feelings about. The concept behind it is brilliant, but it seemed somewhat poorly planned out. On entertaining you are given a time slot to meet Peter Rabbit. Until this point children have free rein in the sensory play area. This bit is brilliant, the problem is that kids don’t want to be pulled away, so it would make more sense to have the meeting first, or it somehow be less free flow and lead to the treehouse rather than the chaos of having a queue and loads of children not understanding what’s going on.

Fleetwood Museum

As we usually stay at Haven’s Cala Gran site we are very close to Fleetwood which has some amazing family activities. This year we decided to visit the museum, it’s free for children and they usually have seasonal trails. The staff and volunteers are all so engaging and really make it entertaining for kids. Definitely worth a visit.

Farmer Parr’s

Who doesn’t love a visit to the farm? Located pretty much opposite Cala Gran caravan park is Farmer Parr’s. There are plenty of animals to see and a large outdoor play area for kids, including a giant bouncy pillow, after all what farm would be complete without a bouncy pillow. They also have a small indoor soft play area and bouncy castle. But the bit both my two love most is the sumo suits, they honestly could spend hours attempting to stay standing in these and think they are hilarious.

There is also a small museum on site and a cafe. There is plenty of seating both outside and under cover if you want to take your own food and drinks, but the cafe does have plenty of grab and go options as well as being extremely popular for sit down meals. The restaurant is popular and is one that is on the list to try one year, we just haven’t got round to trying it out yet.

If in doubt…

If all else fails there are plenty of arcades (be sure to check out coral island), shopping opportunities, show bars and stretches of beach, so there is always something to do whatever the weather.